News & Commentary

The Sordid Backstory Behind the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Decisions

March 9, 2018 Latest NewsUtahJeff Turrentine

A lawsuit forced Ryan Zinke’s Interior Department to disclose files relating to the shrinking of national monuments. It’s easy to see why he wanted them to stay hidden.

6 Ways the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines Would Be Bad for Virginia

February 28, 2018 Latest NewsVirginiaCourtney Lindwall

A new report outlines exactly how the two proposed gas pipelines would threaten the state's waterways and reservoirs.

Following Spills, Ohio Wants to Reroute the Rover Pipeline but Lacks the Muscle

February 26, 2018 DispatchOhioSusan Cosier

High-profile disasters on the controversial pipeline prompted the feds to temporarily halt construction, but the state demands a more permanent solution.

Judge Orders Trump Administration to Release Missing Keystone XL Records

February 26, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

The ruling is encouraging news in the long-fought battle against the controversial tar sands pipeline.

Could Peak Oil Demand Be Just a Dozen Years Away?

January 26, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Quantum leaps in electric vehicle technology are causing some analysts to revise their estimates of when we’ll no longer crave so much crude.

Zinke vs. Coastal Governors

January 16, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCaroline Craig

These states don’t want any part of the Interior secretary’s scheme to drill in our oceans.

Controversial New Pipelines May Slice Through the Southeast

January 16, 2018 DispatchVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline—and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, with a similar path—could tear up land and negatively impact people throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

Will Calling Out Indiana’s Super-Polluting Power Plants Lead to a Cleanup?

January 8, 2018 DispatchIndianaSusan Cosier

A recent study found that the state is home to four of the country’s most polluting power plants. But elected officials won’t even show up to hear their constituents’ concerns about it.

As Trump Moves to Expand Offshore Drilling, He Proposes Shrinking Safety Protections. What Could Go Wrong?

January 5, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Eight years after the BP disaster in the Gulf, the administration aims to relax the rules designed to prevent catastrophic explosions and spills.

This Is How We Stand Up to Trump

December 20, 2017 NRDC in ActionUnited StatesNicole Greenfield

Meet a handful of the NRDC staffers who resisted Trump’s attacks and defended our environment in 2017—and who won’t stop fighting anytime soon.

This Start-Up Has Figured Out How to Turn Diesel Pollution Into Art

December 20, 2017 PerspectivesUnited StatesClara Chaisson

Graviky Labs keeps air pollution from entering our lungs by capturing carbon and turning it into ink.

Drilling for Tax Cuts: The Devastating Alaska Provision

December 8, 2017 Latest NewsAlaskaJeff Turrentine

Most Americans, including many congressional Republicans, are strongly opposed to oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. So why is it attached to the tax bill?

Conflicts of Interest Swamp the Department of Interior

December 1, 2017 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

While his fellow Cabinet members struggle to fill key positions, Ryan Zinke is staffing the Interior with former lobbyists for oil and gas companies.

For This Ex-miner, BBQ (Not Coal) Is the Answer

November 28, 2017 DispatchIllinoisSusan Cosier

Southern Illinois is waiting for Trump’s promised coal boom, but job prospects are still a bust.

Keeping a Close Watch on China’s Climate Transition

November 7, 2017 NRDC in ActionBeijing, Shanghai, ChinaJeff Turrentine

JingJing Qian, senior strategic advisor for NRDC’s China program, is bearing witness to some truly remarkable changes taking place in her home country. She’s also helping to make those changes happen.

From Panthers to Sage Grouse, Oil and Gun Interests Have America’s Wildlife in Their Sights

September 29, 2017 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Lawmakers and federal agencies are rolling back protections for imperiled species and hoping we won’t notice―or won’t care.

What Is the Clean Power Plan?

September 29, 2017 ExplainerUnited States

In short, it’s the first-ever plan to curb carbon pollution from U.S. power plants. Here’s how it works and why it matters.

Americans Red and Blue Unite Against Trump's Plan to Drill the Atlantic

August 28, 2017 PerspectivesEast, United StatesJeff Turrentine

Not even the Republican governors who supported him are willing to get behind it.

Meet Jane Kleeb: One of Nebraska’s First and Fiercest KXL Opponents

August 3, 2017 DispatchNebraskaNicole Greenfield

The founder of Bold Nebraska has led the Cornhusker State’s years-long rallying cry against TransCanada’s tar sands pipeline.

Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic? “That’s Not Who We Are.”

July 24, 2017 DispatchEast, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, GeorgiaRobynne Boyd

Southern communities prefer their coastlines sandy, beautiful, and bountiful—not filled with rigs and air guns blasting ships or covered in oil.